Absolute Fire-FIGHTER ~ Chapter 4
DK, Walsh, Jimmy, Ruth, and Bridgette continued taking shifts, staying at the hospital for the remainder of the night into the next day. When it was time for Taylor's viewing, Bridgette managed to convince her mother to go, but only under Ruth's condition, that Kelsey stayed with Bridgette.
"Done." Kelsey smiled, holding up a piece of paper to Bridgette.
Bridgette studied it for a second, and smiled at the drawing her very artisitic friend made, of a firetruck that read, "Get Well Lt. Johnson!".
"That's cute." Bridgette smiled.
"I made you smile." Kelsey smirked.
"Yeah..." Bridgette trailed off, as she fell back into her homework.
"When do you wanna go back to school?" Kelsey asked.
Bridgette sighed, "After I actually get some sleep."
"Well all your professors said not to worry about it, as long as you do the readings and the homework." Kelsey replied.
Bridgette nodded as the waiting room door opened, and Ruth and Walsh appeared.
"Hey." Bridgette said quietly.
"Hi Sweetie." Ruth said, sitting down into the chair slowly. The looks on both her mother's, and Walsh's faces, told the story of the miserable night they had endured.
"Why don't you guys just go home, we'll stay." Bridgette suggested.
"Yeah it's fine Mrs. Johnson, you should go home and rest." Kelsey added.
"Plus the funeral is early in the morning, you should get some sleep. You too Walsh." Bridgette said.
"I'm not going to argue." Walsh said yawning.
Bridgette looked up to him and quietly asked, "How bad was it?"
Walsh sighed and shook his head slowly, "Sad. Just very very sad."
Bridgette nodded, "It is."
Ruth then spoke, "If you're gonna fight me for it, then you can stay, but then when I get here tomorrow, I'll stay the whole day."
"That's fine mom." Bridgette replied.
Ruth said goodnight to her daughter, and Kelsey along with Walsh before they both left for the evening.
~*~
8:00am
"Bridge, wake up." Kelsey said shaking her friend, who was asleep on the floor next to her.
"Hmmm?" Bridgette asked, opening her eyes.
"Quick! Look!" Kelsey said, motioning to the TV.
Bridgette's eyes focused on the screen in front of them, and listened to the end of what news anchor was talking about, "....Funeral arrangments for firefighter Alex Taylor will be carried this morning at 9:00. Taylor was killed when a car fire got out of control, causing an explosion. Another firefighter, Lieutenant Francis Johnson was also seriously injuried, he is in critical condition at Angel of Mercy Hospital...."
"Stable condition, bitch." Bridgette said to the TV, as she sat up and let out a sigh.
"You know how news people are, they don't know what the hell they're talking about." Kelsey replied.
Bridgette frowned then stood up and stretched, "I'll be back."
"Alright." Kelsey replied, slightly confussed.
Bridgette left the room, and went down to the ICU. Wendie greeted her with her normal smile and cheery disposition, "Doctor said his burns are looking better."
"Yeah that's what my mom told me." Bridgette replied, while she scrubbed her hands.
Wendie smiled at her then helped her get into the gown, and gave her the gloves and mask, "If you need anything I'm out here."
"Thanks." Bridgette replied, turning and walking towards her dad's room. She slid open the door and stepped in. Everything was the same as it had been the last two days, except he had dressings on his burns. Taking a huge breath, she slowly walked up and stood next to his bed. Placing her hand ontop of his left arm, she began to speak, "Hey daddy, I'm here and so is Kelsey. She said hi, and she drew you a picture. I dunno if um, you know or not, but Taylor got hurt really bad too. She um, didn't make it, and Mom's at her funeral today with the guys. I just thought you should know." She stood there for a few more minutes, quietly crying before she turned and left.
~*~
"Hey." DK said quietly, as he entered the waiting room with Ruth around 1pm.
"Hey back." Bridgette replied, looking up at both of them, "How did it go?"
"Beth did ok. I really was afraid she wouldn't," Ruth replied, "But the mass and everything was beautiful."
"She deserved a beautiful funeral, she was a beautiful person." Bridgette stated.
Ruth grinned, "Yeah she was."
"How was everyone else? Like the guys and all?" Bridgette asked.
DK sighed, "We hung in. Jimmy came close a few times. Davis lost it though."
"Ty Davis?" Bridgette asked.
DK nodded, "Yeah. He didn't do too good. He was really close with Taylor."
Bridgette looked down, unsure what to say but managed to come up with, "I hope he's ok."
DK gave her a confident grin, "He should be."
"When you see him, tell him....ya know.....I hope he's doing alright." Bridgette said quietly.
"I will." DK answered.
Desperate to change the subject Ruth spoke up, "Did Doctor Hanson come talk to you?"
Bridgette nodded, "Yeah. He said that his burns are looking better."
Ruth let out a sigh of relief, "Good. That's really good news."
"Yeah, it is." DK added.
"He said he'd let us know tomorrow for sure." Bridgette said.
"Good," Ruth nodded, "Listen sweetie, why don't you head home ok? You need sleep."
Bridgette looked to Kelsey, who had been silent for the entire conversation, "You ready to go?"
"Sure." Kelsey replied, "Can I crash at your house?"
"Of course." Bridgette answered. She then looked to her mother, "What time do you want me back here?"
"Whatever time you want honey." Ruth replied.
Bridgette looked at her watch, "10?"
"That's fine, just get some sleep ok?" Ruth asked.
"Uh huh." Bridgette replied standing up. She gave her mother and DK a hug, and then left with Kelsey.
DK, Walsh, Jimmy, Ruth, and Bridgette continued taking shifts, staying at the hospital for the remainder of the night into the next day. When it was time for Taylor's viewing, Bridgette managed to convince her mother to go, but only under Ruth's condition, that Kelsey stayed with Bridgette.
"Done." Kelsey smiled, holding up a piece of paper to Bridgette.
Bridgette studied it for a second, and smiled at the drawing her very artisitic friend made, of a firetruck that read, "Get Well Lt. Johnson!".
"That's cute." Bridgette smiled.
"I made you smile." Kelsey smirked.
"Yeah..." Bridgette trailed off, as she fell back into her homework.
"When do you wanna go back to school?" Kelsey asked.
Bridgette sighed, "After I actually get some sleep."
"Well all your professors said not to worry about it, as long as you do the readings and the homework." Kelsey replied.
Bridgette nodded as the waiting room door opened, and Ruth and Walsh appeared.
"Hey." Bridgette said quietly.
"Hi Sweetie." Ruth said, sitting down into the chair slowly. The looks on both her mother's, and Walsh's faces, told the story of the miserable night they had endured.
"Why don't you guys just go home, we'll stay." Bridgette suggested.
"Yeah it's fine Mrs. Johnson, you should go home and rest." Kelsey added.
"Plus the funeral is early in the morning, you should get some sleep. You too Walsh." Bridgette said.
"I'm not going to argue." Walsh said yawning.
Bridgette looked up to him and quietly asked, "How bad was it?"
Walsh sighed and shook his head slowly, "Sad. Just very very sad."
Bridgette nodded, "It is."
Ruth then spoke, "If you're gonna fight me for it, then you can stay, but then when I get here tomorrow, I'll stay the whole day."
"That's fine mom." Bridgette replied.
Ruth said goodnight to her daughter, and Kelsey along with Walsh before they both left for the evening.
~*~
8:00am
"Bridge, wake up." Kelsey said shaking her friend, who was asleep on the floor next to her.
"Hmmm?" Bridgette asked, opening her eyes.
"Quick! Look!" Kelsey said, motioning to the TV.
Bridgette's eyes focused on the screen in front of them, and listened to the end of what news anchor was talking about, "....Funeral arrangments for firefighter Alex Taylor will be carried this morning at 9:00. Taylor was killed when a car fire got out of control, causing an explosion. Another firefighter, Lieutenant Francis Johnson was also seriously injuried, he is in critical condition at Angel of Mercy Hospital...."
"Stable condition, bitch." Bridgette said to the TV, as she sat up and let out a sigh.
"You know how news people are, they don't know what the hell they're talking about." Kelsey replied.
Bridgette frowned then stood up and stretched, "I'll be back."
"Alright." Kelsey replied, slightly confussed.
Bridgette left the room, and went down to the ICU. Wendie greeted her with her normal smile and cheery disposition, "Doctor said his burns are looking better."
"Yeah that's what my mom told me." Bridgette replied, while she scrubbed her hands.
Wendie smiled at her then helped her get into the gown, and gave her the gloves and mask, "If you need anything I'm out here."
"Thanks." Bridgette replied, turning and walking towards her dad's room. She slid open the door and stepped in. Everything was the same as it had been the last two days, except he had dressings on his burns. Taking a huge breath, she slowly walked up and stood next to his bed. Placing her hand ontop of his left arm, she began to speak, "Hey daddy, I'm here and so is Kelsey. She said hi, and she drew you a picture. I dunno if um, you know or not, but Taylor got hurt really bad too. She um, didn't make it, and Mom's at her funeral today with the guys. I just thought you should know." She stood there for a few more minutes, quietly crying before she turned and left.
~*~
"Hey." DK said quietly, as he entered the waiting room with Ruth around 1pm.
"Hey back." Bridgette replied, looking up at both of them, "How did it go?"
"Beth did ok. I really was afraid she wouldn't," Ruth replied, "But the mass and everything was beautiful."
"She deserved a beautiful funeral, she was a beautiful person." Bridgette stated.
Ruth grinned, "Yeah she was."
"How was everyone else? Like the guys and all?" Bridgette asked.
DK sighed, "We hung in. Jimmy came close a few times. Davis lost it though."
"Ty Davis?" Bridgette asked.
DK nodded, "Yeah. He didn't do too good. He was really close with Taylor."
Bridgette looked down, unsure what to say but managed to come up with, "I hope he's ok."
DK gave her a confident grin, "He should be."
"When you see him, tell him....ya know.....I hope he's doing alright." Bridgette said quietly.
"I will." DK answered.
Desperate to change the subject Ruth spoke up, "Did Doctor Hanson come talk to you?"
Bridgette nodded, "Yeah. He said that his burns are looking better."
Ruth let out a sigh of relief, "Good. That's really good news."
"Yeah, it is." DK added.
"He said he'd let us know tomorrow for sure." Bridgette said.
"Good," Ruth nodded, "Listen sweetie, why don't you head home ok? You need sleep."
Bridgette looked to Kelsey, who had been silent for the entire conversation, "You ready to go?"
"Sure." Kelsey replied, "Can I crash at your house?"
"Of course." Bridgette answered. She then looked to her mother, "What time do you want me back here?"
"Whatever time you want honey." Ruth replied.
Bridgette looked at her watch, "10?"
"That's fine, just get some sleep ok?" Ruth asked.
"Uh huh." Bridgette replied standing up. She gave her mother and DK a hug, and then left with Kelsey.
